From NFL To Neurosurgeon: Former Football Player, Myron Rolle, Will Soon Be a Doctor

Myron Rolle’s NFL career didn’t last long, but he always made clear that he had higher priorities than playing football, and he’s just taken a major step in his real calling.

Rolle, a 2010 sixth-round pick of the Titans who also spent time with the Steelers, has been chosen for a neurosurgery residency at Harvard after he completes his education at the Florida State University College of Medicine this spring.

“Seven years of neurosurgery is a big deal, something I wanted for a long time, really excited about it. Today is just great, it’s remarkable,” Rolle told WCTV.

From football to medicine

Rolle played for the Titans and also for the Steelers. He said the game taught him how to be a leader and a philanthropist, but it was not his passion as a career. He once told his father that he was going to be a football player and a doctor, although his father told him he couldn’t do both. But he did. The opportunity to be a doctor is something he has waited for a long time.

Rolle will soon complete his education at the Florida State University College of Medicine, then start his residency at Harvard Medical School on July 1. The former Florida State football All-American and Rhodes Scholar is excited about starting this next chapter in his life. He spent a year studying at Oxford between the end of his Florida State career and the start of his NFL career, and a couple years in the NFL, but his primary goal has always been to become a doctor.

Why a doctor?

“Saving lives and helping people live a better life,” Rolle said, “that’s going to make life worth living.” He was a good football player, rated by ESPN as the #1 football recruit in the U.S. in 2006, a First Team Freshman All-American in 2006, and earned both Third Team All-America and Second Team All-ACC honors in 2008. As he applies his passion now to medicine, we have every reason to believe Rolle will also be a good doctor.

To inspire others, Myron has also launched a foundation that is dedicated to the support of health, wellness, educational and other charitable initiatives throughout the world. The foundation’s goal is to help children and families in need.